Old Cowboys Never "Fed" a Horse Grain. Here's What They Actually Ran On

All my knowledge on keeping horses healthy, durable, inexpensive to care for, and long-lived — organized into one complete system. Includes three volumes and seven bonus guides. • The complete hoof framework • The forage-first nutrition approach • The four words that terrify every horse owner • A 30-year horse care timeline • A step-by-step 90-day recovery protocol for horses transitioning away from shoes, grain, supplements, and stalls • A curated directory of tools and suppliers so you can stop overspending on basics → https://big-jim-secrets.com The U.S. horse population peaked at 21.5 million in 1915. Working cowboys sustained those horses almost entirely on native grass — buffalo grass, blue grama, big bluestem — with a loose mineral block in winter and oats only when the work demanded it. Purina launched the first complete pelleted horse feed in 1962, into a market that had already forgotten what the open-range ranchers knew. Virginia Tech's 2020 study (Ghajar et al., Translational Animal Science) tested native warm-season grasses on nine horses and found non-structural carbohydrate levels of 4.4–5.4% — well below the laminitis-safety threshold. The Merck Veterinary Manual documents the metabolic risks of grain-heavy feeding directly. The eXtension land-grant consortium puts standard commercial horse feed costs at approximately $2,400/year. Managed native pasture runs $800–$1,200. Sources: USDA Statistical Bulletin No. 5 | Ghajar et al., Translational Animal Science 2020 | Merck Veterinary Manual | eXtension Extension Horses This video is for informational purposes only. Consult a qualified equine nutritionist or veterinarian before making changes to your horse's diet.